The Juhu aerodrome will now have a smaller “operational area”, which effectively means a curtailed boundary wall. This will result in fewer men being needed for its security. A revised proposal has been submitted to the authorities in New Delhi, which brings down the requirement for security from 174 to just 37. Earlier, the AAI was in the news when it expressed financial inability to accommodate the CISF men it needed within the 3-kilometre radius of the airport, which was a stipulation.
The AAI has also been requesting the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to part with 12 out of its 114 CISF men, which guard the oil producer’s terminal at the aerodrome. This is because 102 are actually working at any given time and the remaining are for contingency purposes. The ONGC has regular chopper operations to the Bombay High oilrig to ferry personnel and has contracted the state owned Pawan Hans. Sources however said that the ONGC has been unwilling to share its CISF men with the AAI, and a meeting will soon be held to resolve the issue. “The CISF troops guarding the ONGC terminal come under the industrial sector of the CISF while the AAI will be assigned men from the airports sector. There are administrative procedures involved in transferring officers meant to a different sector,” said an official privy to the developments.
Juhu airport director M. Yadgiri confirmed the development but refused to comment on the issue. ONGC officials remained unavailable for comment.
The aerodrome is spread around an area of around 400 acres and has nine unarmed private security personnel. The Intelligence Bureau and the ministry of civil aviation had gone into an overdrive in getting the security cover approved, which was supposed to be functional from April this year. The plan is now in limbo unless the accommodation issue is resolved with the CISF and the ministry of home affairs.